


Timetagged.

by gallifreyansalt



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Episode: s03 Timetagger, F/M, Identity Reveal, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Other, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:56:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29601396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifreyansalt/pseuds/gallifreyansalt
Summary: In which Ladybug and Chat Noir fell upon one of TimeTagger’s tags, and found themselves a little too far into their own future-- with Bunnix not in sight.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 36
Kudos: 107





	1. Come here, kitty kitty kitty.

Ladybug hovered over Chat Noir, breathing heavily. “Are you okay Chat Noir?” she asked, looking around her.  _ Oh No,  _ she thought.

Chat Noir nodded, getting up and peering around their surroundings. It looked exactly like their reality, but Bunnix nor Timetagger were in their sight. “Where do you think we ended up, M’lady?” he questioned curiously, confused at how it looked so similar. 

“The question isn’t where,  _ chaton,”  _ Ladybug gulped, “it’s when.” 

“Here, I’ll go and see if any billboards or television screens can tell us where we are, then we’ll know for sure.” Chat Noir extended his baton, ready to rise into the air, but Ladybug stopped him. 

“Woah there kitty, what if we’re in a time where Chat Noir and Ladybug didn’t exist? Or what if we’re in the future and they see two of us? That wouldn’t be good. We need to lay low,” she reasoned. Ladybug looked around, cut off by the beeping of her earrings. 

“There,” Chat Noir said, pointing to a dark alleyway with a garbage bin, hearing the beeping of his own ring.

Ladybug and Chat Noir dove into the dark alleyway, moving the bin so it was between them, and called off their transformations. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng offered Tikki a macaroon, and Adrien Agreste offered Plagg a slice of cheese. “Let me pull out my phone and see if there are any changes, although I’m curious to know if it would even show the correct date,” Marinette said, pulling out her cell phone. When she opened the internet, her phone seemed to glitch and showed a new headline under the Ladyblog.

**LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR FIGHT NEW HAWKMOTH**

_ By Alya Lahiffe _

“Alya Lahiffe?” Marinette questioned out loud, her eyes wide. 

“Isn’t her last name Cesaire?” Adrien asked, thinking to their friend. “If she has Nino’s last name, then that must mean-”

“We’re in the future,” Marinette finished for him, turning off her phone after seeing it was almost out of battery. “But I couldn’t see the date for some reason, my phone glitched out. It would be better once we transform back and I’m able to use my yo-yo. Are you ready?” she asked Chat Noir. 

“Whenever you are, M’lady,” Adrien smiled from the other side of the bin. 

“Tikki, Spots on!” 

“Plagg, Claws Out!” 

Ladybug and Chat Noir emerged from the dark alleyway, confused and slightly curious about their future world. 

“So where do we go, Ladybug? How do we get back to tag the Timetagger?” Chat Noir asked, looking at Ladybug’s face, knowing that she was planning. 

She seemed to debate the answer to his question for a few moments, before offering a small smile. “We go undercover. We don’t know if this future is even one where TimeTagger exists, and I would bet a really good blogger to ask for confirmation,” Ladybug smiled.

“Great Idea, M’lady. Let’s give her a call.” 

Ladybug scrolled through her yo-yo, before landing on Alya’s number. She didn’t remember having her actual number in her yo-yo, but called it anyways, holding it up to her ear like a cellphone. She knew it was her best chance, because by now Alya may not live at home.  _ Especially  _ if she was signing her blog posts with Nino’s last name.

“Hey Marinette,” she heard from the other line, which made her scream. 

“Woah Woah Woah!” Alya said from the other side of the line. “I’m so sorry! The real you, the other you, just texted me saying this is the day you were hit by Timetagger. That’s my bad!” she said, continuing to calm her down from the other side of the line while Ladybug had a fit, shrieking and panicking at a high volume. Chat Noir stood by confused, but gave her space, making a mental note to ask her later.

“I’m coming to the Louvre right now. Sit tight, and don’t draw attention. People are going to notice a vintage look on our superheroes if they see you, and it may get confusing.” 

Ladybug shrieked an okay and hung up, taking a deep breath. Her persona was fading at the sound of her own name, her  _ recognition.  _ “How did Alya know…” she muttered. Chat Noir set his hand politely on her shoulder, plopping down next to her on the ground, where she fell into a ball. 

“Are you okay, M’lady?” Chat Noir asked quietly, not knowing what to do. 

“Alya… When I called her, she called me by my  _ real  _ name, Chat Noir,” she said, looking at her partner with a wide eye. “She  _ knows. _ ” 

This time it was Chat’s turn to be wide-eyed, looking towards the phone where Alya’s number displayed on the small circular screen. “She knows? Does that mean that in the future, we may all know who we are under our mask?” Chat questioned aloud. 

“I don’t know, Chat Noir. But what I do know is that Alya will be here soon, and we should be ready for a very quick rundown of everything we missed,” Ladybug said, her wits slowly returning back to her as she relaxed, trying to process what exactly is going on. 

“Alright, Bugaboo, you know I trust you,” Chat replied with a reassuring smile. Ladybug smiled back at him and looked towards the road, where she saw a dark red car pull up to the curb. The window rolled down, and a familiar-but-slightly-older Alya peeked out from the passenger. 

“Hey! Minibug and Kitten Noir! Get in!” she shout-whispered with a smile, waving them closer to her car. Ladybug and Chat Noir got up, walking towards the car and slipping into the backseat. 

Pop music from their year played on the radio, and Alya smiled at them from the driver's seat she returned to, putting back up the passenger window. 

“What’s up, Ladybug and Chat Noir? Welcome to the future. Is it okay if I play instructions from the future Ladybug and Chat Noir? It’ll help me understand what to do next, but I don’t want to freak you guys out,” she said coolly, looking at them from the rearview mirror. 

The two superheroes, a little confused, nodded. “I can’t believe I’m going to hear M’lady’s voice in the future,” Chat Noir smiled, earning an elbow from his Ladybug. 

Alya changed the music from her phone, and a soft voice played from the speakers that left Ladybug and Chat Noir speechless.   


“Alya, now that you’ve picked up the younger version of me and Chat Noir, you need to listen carefully,” a soft but matured voice rang from the radio. 

Both Minibug and Kitten Noir flushed, gulping at the sound of Ladybug from the speakers. “The date is 30th March, 2028, only 8 years into their future,” she said seriously. “That was for them, not exactly you. Point is, me and  _ Chaton  _ need them to do something for us. That explains why Bunnix isn’t here. Something is supposed to happen, I know it-- but it’s only a vague memory for me. Get them to Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s family bakery, and bring them up into her room for the time being. Then, call me. Bug out,” Ladybug said, her voice cutting out as the recording ended, going back to her music. 

Alya chuckled to herself, facing the window to be out of the hero’s peripherals.  _ Of course you bring her home,  _ she thought to herself, turning on the next street as she went towards the  _ Patisserie  _ that belonged to the Dupain’s. 

  
  


As the bakery came into view, Ladybug peered out of the window to see the railings of the roof covered in twinkling fairy lights.  _ Yeah, Marinette, make it a giant “Welcome Home” sign,  _ she sighed to herself, eager to be in the comfort of her own room-- even if nobody knew it was hers. Well, at least, only Chat Noir. 

“I wonder what Marinette is up to these days,” Chat Noir wondered aloud, breaking the silence. Ladybug smiled to herself, before responding from her window. “Me too, Chat. Me too.” 

Alya pulled to the side of the road and got out, letting Chat Noir and Ladybug walk up to the bakery behind her. As Ladybug approached the door, she saw a “Closed for Vacation!” sign on the door. 

“It’s closed,” Ladybug frowned, turning back towards Alya. Alya shrugged, shuffling through her bag. “Marinette gave me an extra key once, without telling me what it was for. I assumed it was being so clumsy she’d lose hers, even though I’ve never had to use it-- ah, here we go,” Alya smiled, pulling out her keys with a small golden key in her fingertips. She unlocked the door and pushed her way inside, allowing room for the teenagers to slip in before Alya locked the door behind her. 

“I suppose you told her to, Ladybug,” she said with a wink. She led the two heroes upstairs quietly, not commenting much on the room. 

As Ladybug looked around, she saw that it really had not changed much. Family pictures still dotted the free spaces on the bookshelves, with very few being added. One being a graduation picture. She smiled at it before following Alya upstairs, content with the future coziness of her own parent’s home. 

Chat Noir was before Ladybug through the trapdoor, and he took in the room quietly, which was strange for him. Alya didn’t seem too bothered, but then again, she knew who he was. 

“How long has it been since Marinette lived here?” Ladybug asked rhetorically, knowing that Alya was probably not going to answer. The room looked stripped clean of any main belongings, and Ladybug guessed it was because Marinette moved out and took them with her. Still, the bed was made, everything seemed dusted, and there were a few racks of clothing that were spread throughout the room. 

“She visits pretty often, mostly using her room as safe storage for her clothing when she makes too many to sell,” Alya chuckled, “The storage in her boutique is pretty small, but she seems too content to change the building.” 

Ladybug smiled towards the wall, feeling a growing warmth in her chest.  _ My own boutique,  _ she thought to herself. 

“Marinette is very talented, I’m glad it was finally acknowledged,” Chat Noir noted, looking towards a small notebook on the desk that had a load of designs matching the racks behind him. Ladybug blushed beneath her mask. 

“I’m not quite sure what we will be waiting for, all I know is that the future you need past you, and I don’t even know why,” Alya said, purging any more questions about their future as she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts.

She found the one she was looking for,  _ Marinette,  _ and hit the call button. The phone rang a few times, and she held it to her ear, careful to back away from the couple so that she could speak without fear they’d hear Marinette instead of Ladybug. 

“Hey Alya,” Marinette called, a smile being heard from her tone. 

“Hey  _ Ladybug,”  _ Alya responded, “I got them in the place you wanted me too, they’re admiring Marinette’s clothes. Tell me what to do next,” she said, eager to help out. Ever since finding out Marinette was Ladybug, she was stoked, practically throwing herself at her best friend's feet to help out, while still trying to keep her cool (of course). 

“Just keep them away from the bed, I know Chat Noir should be sitting up there right now, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to be mauled by a very excited kitten.”

“Great. See you soon,  _ Bugaboo _ ,” Alya responded with a very dirty look from Chat Noir. 

“Don’t call me that. See you soon, Alya.” The phone clicked.

“Hey, don’t steal my line, we all know only  _ I  _ can call M’lady that,” Chat Noir said with a smile from the bed. 

“Alright, alley-cat. Just jump off the bed so that you can continue to do so,” Alya shot back. Chat Noir, confused, hopped down from the bed, and not a moment too soon. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH” could be heard from the large black mass that barreled through the ceiling, landing on Marinette’s bed with a  _ THUD.  _ A deep groan came from the man as he looked up at the sky, too stunned to move. 

“Seriously, M’lady? When you said I was supposed to drop in, I didn’t think this is what you meant,” he said into his earpiece, sitting up and wiping the debris from his forehead. 

“Chat Noir?” Ladybug asked towards the bed, aware that  _ her  _ Chat Noir was standing in just as much shock. The tall, older Chat Noir sat up, smiling down towards the younger Ladybug. “Hello Bugaboo, just decided to  _ drop in _ and say hello,” he waved with a hand rubbing his neck. 

“Goodness, Chat Noir, did Ladybug throw you in here?” Alya asked, seeing the large impact of debris that was now all over Marinette’s bed. 

“Yes she did, Ms. Lahiffe. Yes she did.” 

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Chat Noir protested, holding up his clawed hands, moving one to his heart and smirking, eye to eye with a flustered Ladybug and a shocked Kitty Noir. “Chat’s honor.”  Adult Noir slipped down Marinette’s ladder, landing on her floor with ease. He looked at Alya and winked as he looked around. “I haven’t been to Marinette’s in a while,” he noted aloud, knowing full well it was a lie. “How’s it hangin’?” he asked his younger partner and self with a mischievous grin. Ladybug groaned, falling back in her chair. 

“Do you have to make puns in the future?” she questioned her kitty, looking at him like ‘ _ C’mon, man’.  _ Kitten Noir smiled, raising his hands in mock surrender. “What can I say, M’lady? A  _ Chat  _ lives nine lives and they will never change.” Ladybug groaned in response. 

“So, when is Ladybug stopping by? She seems to be very knowledgeable about what’s going on,” Alya questioned Chat Noir. He shrugged, turning back towards her. “I don’t remember much of this event, unfortunately. M’lady didn’t tell me when she was coming either.” He turned back towards Minibug, offering a hand. She took it and stood up, alarmed at the height difference between her and the adult Chat Noir. He was easily a foot taller than her, and he peered down at her with a wink. “Checking me out, Minibug?” he asked. Ladybug blushed, pushing him away. “Not a chance, Adult Noir. Just shocked you managed to grow so tall.” Kitty Noir smiled, looking up the half foot towards his future self. As he was about to speak, he was interrupted by a beeping coming from his baton. 

“Is someone… calling you?” Ladybug questioned, tilting her head as she looked at Kitty Noir. He shrugged, pulling out his baton. His eyes widened as he read the name of who was calling him. “It’s you, Bugaboo,” he whispered, looking at her through the corner of his eye and smiling, holding the baton up to his ear. “Hello my future lady, how are you doing today?” he called into the phone, turning away from Ladybug to not be weirded out. 

“ _ Listen, kitty. I sent in your future self mostly as a fun chaperone, but the truth is I need a kitten on this mission, and I’m not going to take in myself. Remember that everything that happens is meant to happen. You got that, Chat Noir?”  _

Kitty Noir took a deep breath in. “I got it, Ladybug,” he responded. 

“ _ Great. Go out onto the roof and go to the balcony railing. If Ladybug decides to follow, my Chat Noir will stop her. Don’t worry about it.”  _

Kitty Noir looked at the hole in the ceiling and began to climb towards it, slipping onto the roof. 

“Where are you going?” Ladybug questioned from behind him, seemingly going to follow, but was stopped by the adult Chat Noir, who told her to just wait. 

“ _ Are you there?”  _ Adult Ladybug questioned after a minute. Chat Noir reached the railing, setting one of his clawed hands down on the cool metal. “I’m here, Ladybug. But what do you need me up here for?” he questioned. He heard a chuckle from the other side. 

“ _ Look to your right,”  _ she said. 

Chat Noir turned, and a few buildings away, standing atop a familiar roof, he could see a familiar red silhouette, dotted with black spots. 

“ _ Come here, kitty kitty kitty,”  _ Ladybug chuckled, a yo-yo pressed to her ears. With a Cheshire grin, Chat Noir slipped his baton behind his back and hopped towards his lady. 


	2. The Agreste Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir are forwards in time, and it seems the older versions of themselves could use their ignorance to their advantage.

Back in Marinette’s bedroom, Chat Noir looked down at his baton and let out a relieved exhale. “He’s with my Ladybug, as expected,” he said, mostly to himself, and quickly flipped the baton behind him. He turned towards the little bug in her own room, and gave a small smile. “You can detransform, if you want. I know who you are now,” he said to her. She looked alarmed, gasping. “You can’t know who I am, Chat Noir. I thought we were supposed to give up our miraculous if we ever found out,” she said. 

Chat Noir responded with a smile, sitting down on the couch that remained in her room. “Marinette,” he said, addressing her by name, “that’s only if it’s too soon. Eventually, it’s safe enough to reveal our identities. Also, I kind of figured out by accident anyway,” he chuckled. Ladybug shrieked, her eyes going wide once again, as she began to pace her room, trying to make sense of it all. Alya looked at her phone and announced her exit, saying that Nino needed her help with something as she escaped the onslaught of a very confused Ladybug.

After a while, she turned towards Chat Noir, her hands tangled in her pigtails. “You mean to tell me, you found out, by  _ ACCIDENT?”  _ she shouted, a look of defeat and slight disappointment in her eyes. 

Chat Noir put his hands up in defeat before setting them back down in his lap, his tail waving. “I accidentally went into the same place as you to transform, and I walked in mid transformation. You didn’t see me, and it led to some very interesting conversations, that’s all I’ll say. You found out my identity by accident too,” he said with a smile.

Babybug sat down in her chair, taking a deep breath and preparing to call off her transformation. After a moment of looking very weirded out, she looked back up at her future partner. “This is too weird… can you leave the room?” she asked politely. Chat Noir nodded, turning and slipping down the trapdoor into the apartment below. “Just let me know when I can come back up, Bugababy,” he chuckled as he shut the door. Ladybug rolled her eyes, waiting a moment, and then cut her own silence. 

“Tikki, Spots Off.” 

Tikki flowed around her for a moment before landing in her hand. “Woah, we’re in your room Marinette!” Tikki said happily, looking around and taking in the new scenery. She frowned up at the rubble of Marinette’s ceiling and bedspread, and Marinette quickly told Tikki what happened.

“That’s not all. Chat Noir?” she called, and Chat Noir quickly came back into the room, careful to set down the trap door nicely. Tikki shrieked and hid in Marinette’s drawer, but Chat Noir just smiled. 

“It’s okay, Tikki. I know.” 

Tikki peered from the drawer, her eyes wide. She seemed to relax after processing that this was the  _ future  _ Chat Noir, and flowed up to him. “Hello Chat Noir!” she said with a smile. “I’m glad we finally are able to get acquainted in the future.” 

“Me too, Tikki,” Chat Noir said, petting the top of the red kwami’s head. Marinette smiled, ignoring her initial  _ DANGER  _ instincts, and stood up, sitting on the couch where Chat Noir stood nearby. “Chat Noir, why did you separate me and my partner? What’s going on?” she asked. The superhero merely shrugged, sitting down next to her, his handsome face riddled with stress as he tried to remember. 

“For some reason, my memories aren’t coming back to me. You explained to me that this is a side effect of time travel. Since I was in contact with a future version of myself, it’s hard to remember details. I remember Ladybug telling me to come with her, and we went throughout Paris. I know right now there’s a new akumatized villain, but one that hasn’t been caught yet, and that’s just my own knowledge from my present,” he explained. His clawed hands swept back his messy blonde hair, and he turned towards Marinette and smiled. “You refused to tell me any of this conversation though before we met up again. I remember  _ that  _ much.” 

Marinette hummed before crossing her feet, laying back on the arm of the couch. “Time travel is so weird.  _ This  _ is so weird. Meeting my future partner and almost myself, a  _ married  _ Alya coming to pick us up, having to lay low because we’re way too small to be this version of Ladybug and Chat Noir. This is all weird, and I don’t even know what’s going on.” The teenager frowned, looking towards Adult Noir, his body probably twice the size of hers. She noticed that he was clearly grown; his jaw was chiseled with a light stubble dotting his jawline. He looked a lot more muscular and definitely taller from her encounter earlier. He also seemed more comfortable with himself, and she noticed he wasn’t making as many terrible jokes as normal. 

“When did you grow out of the constant flirting and puns?” she questioned quietly, looking into his green eyes. Chat Noir looked at her for a moment, unsure of an answer, before grinning widely. “What makes you think I grew out of it,  _ Bugaboo? _ This cat’s still got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.” Marinette chuckled, looking towards the ceiling. 

“That’s not what I meant, Chat Noir. It’s not as constant, and it seems to flow a lot more naturally from you then it does my Kitten. Whatever happened, I’m really glad you seem to be more comfortable with yourself. Your confidence doesn’t feel forced or fake anymore,” she said, noting his calm demeanor and how he didn’t seem like such a doubtful Chat Noir like hers, using humor to cope with not knowing what to do. 

The Chat in front of her looked towards the ground and smiled. “It was because of you, Marinette,” he said simply, playing with his fingers. Marinette looked back at him, confused. “What do you mean, because of me? What could I have done?” 

Chat Noir hesitated for a moment, deciding whether or not he wanted to take her there. He decided he should. “Come with me, I like to talk in our favorite place, if that’s okay,” he said. Marinette took his hand with a small smile, and Chat Noir led her to the roof, took her by the waist, and swung with his baton across the rooftops of Paris.

Chat Noir took Marinette towards the Eiffel Tower, using his baton to extend them both to one of the top tiers, setting his younger partner on one of the beams. 

Marinette looked over Paris with a smile as Chat Noir sat down next to her, returning his baton to his back. He swung his legs gently as he looked out with her. “This stays our spot, M-little-Lady,” he chuckles, pulling his legs into a criss-cross. “Nobody ever comes up here.” 

“What do you need to tell me, kitty?” the teenager asked, peering at Chat Noir to see his sorrowful smile, putting together his words so that he could tell her the truth. He knew inside he couldn’t reveal too much, but maybe-  _ just maybe-  _ he was allowed to say this. 

“Ladybug, there is going to be a point in the future where I’m lost and confused. I won’t know who to trust, I won’t know who I can go to, but you,  _ both sides  _ of you, are constant. You help me get through one of the hardest battles of my life, and it’s helped me…  _ clarify  _ some things about myself I may have otherwise stayed oblivious. In a way, you gave me some good fortune I didn’t think I could have, I  _ am  _ the black cat after all,” Chat Noir began with a deep chuckle, trying to swallow the sob that built behind his voice. Marinette looked at him, a sad smile growing on her face as she fought the urge to reach towards him.  _ I’ll do that someday, but not him. Not today,  _ she thought to herself. 

“I’m the guy who always laughs and jokes to you, especially right now, and I know that. But once you learn who I am, I can open up to you, and you find out why. You’re the only person to listen to me, in this spot, as I pour my life out to you. The best part is you  _ understand.  _ You give me advice I didn’t even know I needed, and you’ve helped me become the Chat Noir you see today. Something big, and something disastrous is going to happen in your future, Marinette. It’s going to destroy me from the inside out.  _ That’s  _ how you figure out who I am.”

Marinette gasped, covering his mouth.  _ Disastrous? I accidentally figure out who he is because of something horrible that happens?  _ She tried to rack her brain at all the possibilities, but Chat Noir noticed her look and shook his head. 

“Don’t try to guess, you won’t be able to without knowing who I am. But I just want you to know that no matter how I react when it happens, you have my complete trust, Marinette. You  _ and _ Ladybug; both sides of you I’d fight for,” he smiled. “Chat’s honor.” 

Marinette gave him a smile, setting a comforting hand on his. They both looked out on the Parisian landscape, taking in the view, and their conversation.

For a couple of minutes after Chat Noir spoke, they sat in silence. As the wind flew through the iron beams and bolts of the Eiffel Tower, Chat Noir’s baton started beeping. He quickly flipped it out to see  _ his  _ Ladybug’s face lit up on the screen. He pressed the answer button and held it up to his ear. “Why hello M’lady, it’s so glad to hear your matured voice again,” he cooed. 

“ _ Not now,  _ Chaton.  _ I need you both in position in front of the Agreste Mansion. That’s where the Compeller is hiding out. It seems our reporter wants to know if Adrien Agreste is really in a relationship,”  _ Ladybug chuckled from the end of the line, “ _ Just get here as soon as possible, and bring Minibug. We’re on a rooftop facing the front entrance. Don’t be late.”  _

“See you soon, Bugaboo,” Chat Noir smiled. He hung up before looking towards Marinette. “As much as I love prowling around, we need to get you back to Tikki. We have an akuma to catch.”

  
  


“Listen, I know it’s weird coming here,” Ladybug said to Kitten Noir as he looked with wide eyes towards the Agreste Mansion. “Truth is, you haven’t even lived here in a year or two,” she smiled. 

Chat Noir looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide. “You… know who I am?” he asked, trying to keep his voice at a whisper to not alert the akuma inside. Ladybug smiled, reaching out and ruffling Kitten Noir’s hair. “Of course I do, Kitty-cat. I’m not going to tell you when because I want it to happen naturally like my memories, but it’s pretty funny how it happens,” she said kindly. She allowed him a few moments to process what he heard as the door to the Agreste Mansion swung open. 

“OH  _ ADRIEN!  _ COME INTO MY LASSO OF TRUTH AND I WILL TRULY FIND OUT IF THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! HEEEERE ADRIEN!” Compeller shouted, circling around the building. Just as Ladybug pursed her lips in anticipation, wondering when the  _ hell  _ her partner would arrive, Bigbug and Kitten Noir heard a soft thump from behind them. They turned to see the adult Chat Noir carrying a frazzled Minibug. Ladybug smiled and gave her a wink. “Hey Minibug, glad for you to join us. Our akuma is the Compeller, and with his lasso he can compel the truth out of you. The issue is what she’s been tasked with compelling out of  _ us,”  _ she said, looking towards Chat Noir as he put the pieces together.

“Oh, that’s brilliant M’lady,” he said, looking towards the two teenaged superheroes. “You two don’t know who each other are; that’s what The Compeller has been trying to get out of us. She wants  _ us  _ to give each other away and break our partnership. However, if even  _ we  _ don’t know-”

“Then there’s no way the lasso can work,” Minibug finished for him, her eyes glittering with a plan. 

Together, the four superheroes looked down towards the Mansion, feeling the cold air from inside drift towards them with the breeze. The Compeller slipped back inside, making her way towards Adrien’s bedroom, looking out every single window to make sure she was undisturbed. “I KNOW YOU’RE IN HERE,  _ ADRIEN,”  _ she said with each opening of the window. 

Kitten Noir shuttered as she slammed open every single window, wondering where in the world anybody in the house was. If anything, she should have found his father by now, and he could very well be inside- but it didn’t seem like it. 

“Lucky Charm,” Bigbug whispered from beside him, and in her hands landed a small trinket, which looked like an elevator key. Ladybug and Chat Noir locked eyes for a moment, and Ladybug slipped the key into his pocket. “You two are going to confront The Compeller. It may be easier for you to slip in and out of her grasp because she’s used to fighting a bigger version of us,” she said. Minibug and Kitten Noir nodded, looking at each other with determination. 

“If she gets you, don’t worry. She’ll be trying to ask you who the other one is, and to that you will have no answer, which can be said differently for us. I’ll slip in and switch places with you, Minibug, in the middle of the fight if need be, but hopefully Chat Noir will be back with what we need before that happens. Give her hell.” 

With that, Minibug and Kitten Noir smiled at each other before swinging towards the mansion, ready to give a future villain one hell of a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be bemused, it's just the news!  
> I just want to thank you so much for your kind comments! I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> Waddle on,  
> Atlas


	3. The Compeller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir is faced with a piece of his past, and simultaneously, a future he doesn't understand. Ladybug and Minibug are keeping their best faces on in order to defeat The Compeller, who is determined to find out the identities of the two infamous superheroes.

Young Ladybug and Chat Noir crashed through the large windows that opened into Adrien Agreste’s bedroom, knowing that’s where the Compeller stopped to look around. They both rolled onto the ground, and Ladybug began to whip her yo-yo at her side. 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,  _ Compeller.  _ I won’t fall for your tricks,” she said. Chat Noir looked at her in awe, happy that she didn’t lose her mojo despite looking so frazzled when they first reconnected on the rooftop. He wondered if Ladybug was told about them knowing each other's identities, but pushed those thoughts behind him as he focused on the fight. “Don’t make us  _ compel  _ you out of your hiding spot,  _ Compeller,”  _ he smiled, whipping his baton at his side as he walked next to Ladybug. 

“You and your  _ dirty puns,”  _ he heard a voice say from behind him. The couple turned to see a woman perched on the rock climbing wall at the very top. Her eyes were a milky white, her outfit a mix of gold and red. “I will compel you to TELL ME WHO EACH OTHER *REALLY* ARE!” Compeller shouted, whipping her rope towards the superheroes. They dodged and went back and forth, Ladybug’s eyes catching the slightest hidden ball of red that peeped from the bathroom door as she tried her best to keep away from the dangerous glowing rope of her new villain. 

* * *

Adrien went down the elevator slowly, anxiety rising in his gut. He didn’t remember having to do this, probably having pushed it away not seeing it’s importance. Still, it was enough to start shattering his soul from the inside out; and he wasn’t even prepared. in the glass, his reflection showed his dim expression, all sitting in a Marinette-sewn leather jacket and converse. He fiddled with one of the zippers as his anxiety rose. 

Plagg hovered next to him uneasily, his appetite for his Camembert seemingly gone. They descended into the large garden atrium. Adrien’s stomach dropped as the atrium stood in front of him, empty and dark. The middle spotlight shown on an empty white module that once held his mother. His heart sank. 

Adrien had not been down here since the final battle against Hawkmoth almost five or six years ago, where it was discovered that Hawkmoth had been his father, Gabriel Agreste. He remembered walking with Ladybug as they searched up and down the mansion with the eye of Nathalie, who offered to show Chat Noir  _ why  _ his father had betrayed him the way he had. Thus, the couple were led into this very garden, with the frozen body of his mother laying at its center, trapped inside the most pristine cryogenic chamber that Adrien didn’t even know existed. 

* * *

Time Reverse, to about 6 years ago.

* * *

  
  


When Adrien saw his mother, he had stopped dead. “ _ No,”  _ he whispered, his transformation running out as his tears built up behind his eyes. As his costume came down, so did his internal mask. He ran towards the glass casket, throwing his arms around the glass and sobbing onto it’s cold surface. “ _ Mom, _ ” he sobbed. Nathalie looked away, tablet in hand, her eyes brimming with tears. Ladybug walked into the garden. “Tikki, Spots Off,” she said. Her costume came down and she was the Marinette from the previous day, when she had first transformed; her hair tossed into a bun and wearing business clothes for a presentation she had that day at school. She walked up to Adrien and gently rubbed his back, looking sorrowfully at the cryogenic chamber that held Mrs. Emilie Agreste. 

Adrien turned at Marinette’s touch that day, holding her as tightly as he could as his tears soaked the shoulder of her blazer. She hadn’t minded. She almost looked… prepared for this day. “I’m so sorry, Adrien,” she whispered gently, holding him close while he poured his heart into the nook of her neck, right where it met her shoulder. Nathalie set her tablet down, the screen obviously on, before walking with her head down towards the elevator, a few tears escaping down her face. On the tablet, Adrien and Marinette would find a few hours later after Adrien had calmed down, was the journal of Nathalie, every written account of everything Gabriel had said to her about his plans as Hawkmoth. They had used it at the trial. Gabriel was arrested and found guilty, and Nathalie was arrested and found guilty for aiding him. One would spend the rest of his days in a cell, while the other would get out a few years later, per Chat Noir’s request. Nathalie has spent the last couple of years handling the Agreste Foundation in Adrien’s name. 

* * *

Now, the cryogenic chamber lay cold and empty, the glass coffin opened and an empty bed is presented. They had moved Emilie Agreste to a nearby hospital, where she lay comatose to this very day. 

Adrien set his hand on top of the cool white surface, before moving to see if he could see how to unplug it. He desperately wished to move it, and he believes that this could be used to catch the compeller, as it was the only thing down here. Unfortunately, his father had hardwired many of the electronics into the main metal flooring, and it could take  _ hours  _ to dismantle it. How in the world would Adrien figure out how to fix this thing? 

As he continued thinking about it, he heard a crash echo from above him. Curiosity, he looked up, but saw nothing but the dark without his night vision. What could have crashed? “Plagg?” he asked his kwami. Plagg nodded, setting his cheese down inside Adrien’s jacket and flying upwards towards the ceiling. Adrien circled the cryogenic chamber once again, sitting on the floor when he couldn’t quite figure it out. After a few moments, Plagg dropped down in front of him, hovering in front of his face. “They’re fighting up there; this atrium is two floors beneath your bedroom,” he whined, zooming back in to grab Adrien’s Camembert. 

_ Right above us, huh.  _ Adrien thought for a moment, looking around the atrium. “And I don’t remember much at all unless he doesn’t see me,” Adrien muttered. Plagg’s eyes widened. “Oh no you don’t, Adrien, you know full we-” 

“Plagg, claws out!”

“weEEEEAAALALLLL---” 

* * *

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir laid within the golden ropes of the Compeller, struggling to break free from her grasp. “WHO IS CHAT NOIR!” She sneered in Ladybug’s direction. Ladybug shrieked before screaming, in a clear tone. “I don’t know who Chat Noir is, Compeller!” she said. Chat Noir responded the same way when asked about Ladybug. The Compeller was frazzled and very aggravated, having just fallen through Adrien Agreste’s floor and onto a cool marble office space that she could care absolutely less about. 

As she got ready to change her question, to  _ finally  _ expose their identities the way that Hawkmoth wanted her to, she heard two doors slam open around her. She whipped around, keeping her rope steady on the two superheroes, but strangely couldn’t see… anything? She couldn’t tell which two doors had been slammed, nothing in Adrien’s room that wasn’t destroyed had been touched, and that’s where the sound seemed to have come from. “Who’s there!” The Compeller shouted, her hand firm on her golden rope. When she growled, turning around to bring both Ladybug and Chat Noir towards her, she saw that they were… gone? 

“WHERE DID YOU PESKY CHILDREN GO!?” The Compeller screamed, her eyes flashing with a deep anger. A lavender light outlined her goggles as she was spoken too by a growling voice. “Do  _ not  _ let them get away,” Hawkmoth asserted. Compeller nodded, opening the door and cracking her whip against the marble. “ _ Heerrre, kitty kitty kitty,”  _ Compeller mocked, slamming open every single door that laid in her path, ready to catch the two people she must in order to achieve what others have never. 

Meanwhile, Ladybug and Chat Noir held their breath, barely supporting themselves on the small ledge that lined the side of the house. When Compeller left, they took a deep breath, making a move to go to a nearby roof, until Adult Bug stopped them. “Chat Noir has just told me his plan,” she said, looking very uneasy. “Let’s slip into Adrien’s bathroom, hopefully she won’t think to look back in there, as she was looking right towards it when we disappeared.” 

The trio slipped into Adrien’s large bathroom, and took a deep breath feeling their feet on land. Adult Bug quickly sent a text message to her  _ chaton,  _ to be opened as soon as he got a chance. “So Chat Noir makes plans now? That’s a shocker,” Ladybug teased, her kitten rolling his eyes. 

“You may be all brains but I’m just all knowledge, M’ladybug,” he smiled, leaning on his baton as he beamed in her direction. Ladybug chuckled, pushing him away, causing him to lose his balance and fall on the floor. “Whatever you say, you stray.” 

Adultbug smiled at the couple, feeling a small piece of nostalgia for when she and her partner weren’t so literally  _ partners,  _ on both sides of life. She chuckled to herself as she pressed a few buttons on her yo-yo. “Check this out,” she said, pulling up a schematic of the house. “We need to get her into the lobby, and then we need to get her  _ down,”  _ Bigbug ordered, zooming in on the lobby. “But there is no down,” Chat Noir frowned. Ladybug looked confused in Chat Noirs direction, but Bigbug just took his shoulder. “Correct. For your time period, but something was…” she hesitated on the word  _ discovered,  _ searching for the right excuse. “...built, during these last 8 years,” she said. “Cool,” Chat Noir mumbled. Then they got to work to hatch the plan. 

The Compeller was quite easy to  _ compel  _ to get her in the right spot. Chat Noir leaned against the front doorway, his baton serving as a cane, his head tilted as if he could’ve been wearing a top hat. “COMPELLER! I’M HOOOME!” Chat Noir yelled throughout the house, his voice echoing in every hallway and marble room that branched off into open doorways. A rumbling came from the opposite end of the house as the Compeller heard, turning towards his direction and finding where he had gone. 

“Nice to see you, hope you had a good day around the house,” Chat Noir snickered, extending his baton to counter the whip that threatened his very truth. The Compeller snarled towards him. “I WILL COMPEL YOU TO TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!” she yelled, throwing her golden whip towards him. 

“Not without me, you’re not,” Chat Noir heard from next to him. Adultbug stood there, yo-yo in hand, whipping it around her more gracefully than the Compeller propelled her whip. “Nice of you to join us, Ladybug,” Compeller snarled. “Get ready to be  _ COMPELLED TO TELL ME WHO YOU ARE SO YOU CAN GIVE ME YOUR MIRACULOUS!”  _

Ladybug sighed, muttering under her breath, “that never gets old.” 

Together, Bigbug and Kitten Noir began to fight Compeller, while Minibug stood to the side, fidgeting with her lucky charm and Chat Noir’s belt. She hastily made what looked to be a harness, using Chat Noir’s belt. She quickly tied her lucky rope to the belt, and per Bigbug’s instruction, added her yo-yo within the mix. Using her weird loop of leather, rope, and string, Minibug sprung into the room as she heard her cue. 

“CATACLYSM!” 

Chat Noir slammed his hand down on the floor, unsure if it would work. Minibug threw her makeshift harness at The Compeller, using her yo-yo as an anchor to the ceiling chandelier. The floor crumbled, and sure enough, an empty space met both Chat Noir and Adultbug as they went flying. 

“NO!” The Compeller yelled, diving towards them and throwing her whip, but being caught by leather by the waist. As The Compeller attempted to summon her whip, Ladybug gripped her piece of the rope and threw it around the Compeller, trapping her in a cocoon of fiber and string.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The Compeller whaled. Ladybug looked down through the whole that Chat Noir’s Cataclysm dealt, and her stomach dropped.

There was an  _ actual room  _ underneath the Agreste Mansion, all dark except for the spotlights that beamed down towards the middle. In the middle, Adult Noir stood, his baton flashing the light towards Ladybug so she’d know where to lower their found villain. 

Adult Noir took the bundle of The Compeller and ripped the choker off her neck, which held a small camera charm. He squished it, and was greeted with a glowing purple butterfly. “My bugaboo?” he smiled behind him. Adult Bug came into the light with a smile, opening her yo-yo. 

“Time to De-Evilize!” she said, activating the power in her tool and whipping it towards the insect, capturing it with her device.

“Bye, bye  _ petit papillon,”  _ she smiled, opening the yo-yo as a pure white butterfly replaced the corrupted counterpart. She held her hand out and Chat Noir returned her keys. Ladybug set the reporter girl on the ground, who was groaning in pain, and took the lucky rope. “On three?” Ladybug offered, looking at her older self. She agreed. “One… Two…” 

In unison, they both threw their lucky charms in the air, shouting:

“MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be bemused, it's just the news!  
> It's Atlas here!
> 
> Hey you guys! Thank you SO SO MUCH for the comments, kudos, and encouragements not only on this fic but my others; it makes my heart happy and I hope you enjoy this update!  
> I'm simultaneously working on this fic and one that includes two original characters. I'm pretty excited for them but I may not post that fic until it's completed. Thanks for your support!  
> Au Revoir!  
> \-- Atlas Pond


	4. Two Pairs of Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug delve into their future personal lives, and their future selves are yearning for each other.

The Ladybugs worked quickly to fix everything, happening in a record speed with the amplification of double the bugs for the double Ladybugs, who now stood next to their partners in the dark sanctum. 

Ladybug went to her Kitten, and Adultbug went to her Chat, and held out their fists. “Pound it!” they both said in unison. The older heroes looked towards their younger counterparts. “Thank you so much for helping us defeat The Compeller. She’s been causing a lot of trouble recently,” Ladybug smiled. Chat nodded in agreement. “We told Bunnix that we would take you guys back to your time to finish the fight against Timetagger tomorrow morning,” Chat added. “That means you can ask any questions for us now, and we can even show you around. You won’t be able to remember much of this, but it’s still a cool experience I hope,” Ladybug continued.

Kitten Noir and Babybug looked at each other before smiling. “Sure thing,” Kitten Noir said. “I’m very curious to know what my classmates are up to nowadays. See ya, Bugaboo,” he smiled kindly at his partner before following Chat Noir outside of the atrium and into the evening, his ring beeping.

Ladybug laughed at herself. “What am I going to do with him?” she questioned aloud. Bigbug just chuckled, leading Ladybug outside of the atrium and into a nearby alleyway. “I’m not sure. I still need to deal with my partner even now. Where do you want to go, Marinette?” 

It seemed like she already knew the answer, but the newly de-transformed Marinette just shrugged. “I’m not sure. I could ask so many questions; do we really own a boutique? How did we catch Hawkmoth? Did we ever reveal our feelings to Adrien even though every time we go near him we just suffer in our own loneliness? Was it weird getting to know Chat Noir as a civilian?” Marinette continued to rattle off questions, but Ladybug stopped her.

“I know that there’s a lot about the future that’s unknown, and that can lead to a lot of questions. How about I just show you? Starting with this. Spots off,” she called. Her costume slowly unrevealed itself until Marinette was looking in the eyes of herself, but older.

Future-nette wore a knit black halter top tucked into fashionable pink plaid pants, a pink embroidered beret sitting on top of her long blue hair. She coupled the outfit with stylish black booties by cuffing her pants, and a soft pink cardigan around her shoulders. Her purse was an over-the-shoulder just like Babynette’s was, except it was bigger and looked like it was an embroidered laptop bag.

Older Tikki smiled kindly and waved at her younger holder before zipping into the laptop bag sleepily to recharge herself. Future-nette patted the bag before gesturing. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The pair of Chat Noirs recouped in the opposite alleyway, the mansion dividing them from Marinette. “Claws in,” they said in unison. Adrien appeared in his usual get-up, but the  _ older  _ Adrien looked like he seriously got an upgrade.

He looked seriously taller and more muscular, like he had finally put on some weight that his father used to hold back from him. He wore a loose leather jacket and what looked like a similar t-shirt to the one he wore now, with the stripes as a small logo in the pocket. His shirt was tucked into fashionable jeans and black converse sneakers. His hair was messy in an iconic way, showing off a “bad-boy” look without actually being one (in his civilian form, at the least). The Older Plagg zipped immediately into his jacket, coming back out with a nice slice of smelly Camembert. “Ohh this is  _ scrumptious!”  _ he shivered, devouring it whole. 

Young Plagg did the same, but chose politely to stay in Adrien’s shirt. “Who do you want to see first?” Adrien asked his younger counterpart, leaning back against the brick wall of the building behind him. 

“Can I see Marinette’s boutique?” 

“Sure, I’ll see if she’s there today.” 

* * *

Marinette was interrupted by a call, picking it up and mumbling as they walked along the street towards her boutique. Babinette wanted to see it very badly, and was eager to know how popular her designs might be someday; even if she was destined to forget it once they returned.

Marinette got off the phone and smiled to herself, fiddling with her cardigan. She looked lovestruck. “Boyfriend in the future?” Babinette pondered, and Marinette laughed in response. “Sort of, yeah. Here, mini-me. This is a device that will cloak you from other people’s eyes. I had Bunnix find some tech earlier for this purpose. Two ladybugs might be a stretch, but two civilian Marinette’s is even more of one. Here,” she said, pulling a small bracelet out of her bag. She held it out to Babinette and she put it on, turning on the signal. “So can you see me?” she asked. Marinette nodded, but shrugged. “I only see you because I know you’re there, and I have a similar bracelet to be able to see. You’re undetectable to the average person. Look down,” she said. Babinette looked down to see… the ground. Her body seemed to have disappeared. “That’s so…”

“AWESOME!” Adrien said, patting himself down to fully take in his invisibility.

Older Adrien chuckled, “Yeah, it is. Just try not to make too much noise; there’s not much soundproofing, only a little bit in the case you cough or sneeze or something. We’re almost there,” he said. 

They walked up to a small, cute building on the corner of a nearby street. It was decorated in small fairy lights on the roof railing and the windows were showcasing a beautiful dress and a tuxedo, as well as some normal street clothes. The sign imprinted on the door simply said ‘ _ Marinette’s’.  _

They walked in to a dim store lobby, with a few racks of clothes and spotlighted manikins. “Marinette?” Adrien called gently, looking around to see if she was anywhere around here. A moment later, some fussing led to the door to the office bursting open and Marinette toppling out, looking sheepish. “H-Hey Adrien,” she smiled sweetly, trying her best not to fall over. Adrien chuckled and helped her up, picking up some of the things she dropped on the floor. “Thanks,” she said shyly. “Anytime, P-Marinette,” Adrien choked. 

They both looked at each other with a heartfelt expression as they silently cleaned up.  _ I don’t know if we should tell them yet,  _ it was a mutual decision, though they considered that they wouldn’t remember this at all. Both of their memories went blank during this tour and they couldn’t remember  _ anything  _ that happened.

“How is the boutique holding up?” Adrien asked, glancing around at the neat rows and racks that Marinette must’ve reorganized after he had left this morning to go prepare for the arrival of his younger selves.  _ She is seriously amazing on time management, or at least doing things quickly,  _ he thought to himself.

“Oh, you know, just like normal,” Marinette said, feeling suddenly shy. Being reminded of how she used to be around Adrien, before she knew he was Chat Noir (which was the real reason her stutter could even dissipate, now that she knew she was doing it in front of a complete doofus). Adrien noticed and gently took her into a light, friendly hug, making it look like a natural thing he did often (he didn’t do this often-- he’s a more kissing kind of guy). Marinette returned it gratefully, pushing him away after a moment to not look suspicious. Their younger selves roamed the store, Adrien looking at Marinette’s future designs and Marinette looking at Adrien ( _ God he looked so hot,  _ Marinette thought to herself). She felt her cheeks flush at Adrien’s smile, her knees wobbly as he looked  _ even better  _ with his age. As they watched quietly, Older Adrien and Marinette were yearning. 

They tended to be a little more flirty, and their hugs tended to last just a little bit longer.  _ If they weren’t here,  _ Marinette thought, _ Adrien would have surely wrapped his arms around my shoulders by now.  _ The lack of touch she received now makes her feel two kinds of lonely: both past tense and present.

* * *

“Well, Marinette, it was nice dropping in to see how you were doing. I was thinking of going to visit Nino and Alya,” he smiled, offering a wave. He looked deep into her mature blue eyes, her hair tossed just the right way on her shoulder. He felt his heart flutter as he offered a wave, thinking that he wanted to tell her the beret looked very pretty on her head. Or that her outfit was very stylish today. Or that her makeup seemed to be done almost perfectly. “See you later,” Adrien said half-heartedly. Marinette noticed the  _ Princess  _ hovering in the air. 

Adrien and his younger self escaped on the street, and Adrien made it a promise to give Marinette just a little more attention after their younger selves were back. They’d both been extraordinarily busy with work recently, and having to chaperone his younger self so that he doesn’t remember anything about his own future was starting to stretch him thin. 

Ever since he got in a relationship with Marinette, one that was finally full of love and with someone he wanted to devote his energy into, he had turned into a huge ball of affection. He thrived on constant hugs and even hand holds; aching for the physical touch of another human being. It got better after he finally moved out of his marble prison, the air not sterile like a hospital and not as cold as a freezer. Still, he continued to yearn for the affections of another. Moving into Marinette’s was a choice that he took very seriously, and so far, he hasn’t regretted it. It just made the weeks where they both worked opposite shifts and didn’t have any time together that much harder, but he knew at the end of the day that it was going to happen anyway. He felt just like his younger self when his father didn’t join him for meals; that endless yearning of love-- he felt two kinds of lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news  
> It’s Atlas !!
> 
> Hello everyone, this chapter is a little short but I’m currently working on chapter 5 as quickly as I feel inspired~! I could have kept going on this chapter but I think I ended it on a nice note and I didn't know where I should've expanded upon. I hope you like some future-fluff!♥   
> Next Chapter is entitled "Lahiffe" where we delve more into the futures of Marinette and Adrien's CLASSMATES! So be on the lookout for that soon!
> 
> ♥ Atlas


End file.
